


Wolf in the Shadows

by notaverse



Category: Gabriel Knight
Genre: Angst, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-01
Updated: 2011-10-01
Packaged: 2017-10-24 05:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/259355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notaverse/pseuds/notaverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After certain events in the woods in chapter 5, von Glower helps Gabriel back to the hunting lodge. (Follows game continuity, not novel continuity, or they'd be on horseback.) Gabriel contemplates juggling his existence as a Schattenjager with...uh...this would be a major spoiler for chapter 5, so just use your imagination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wolf in the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Wolf in the Shadows  
>  **Series:** Gabriel Knight (#2, The Beast Within)  
>  **Pairing:** Baron Friedrich von Glower/Gabriel Knight  
>  **Rating:** PG  
>  **Genre:** Beware of the angst.  
>  **Disclaimer:** They belong to Jane Jensen and the good people of Sierra. Friedrich, sadly, is out of my league. All German words appropriated from the novel, since I don't speak German.

It was only a short walk back to the lodge but to Gabriel, each halting, pain-filled step lasted an eternity. Baron von Zell had left him battered and bleeding from a gash in his leg where the other man's teeth had torn him open. He'd shot von Zell, gunned him down in wolf form and watched, sickened, as the body shrank and contorted into a naked man. The corpse had been left in the woods because Friedrich said he was going to take care of it, and Friedrich was good at taking care of things.

He'd taken care of Gabriel well enough, hadn't he? Inviting him into the club with a warm smile and a line about angels that would've sounded tacky coming from anyone else's lips.

Gabriel thought that after almost a year in Germany, he was finally going to make a friend who wasn't involved in the family business in some way. He'd cooped himself up in Schloss Ritter, saying he was working on his next book, but all he'd been doing was hiding. If he went out and found himself a life, he might never go back to New Orleans and he wasn't ready to make that break yet. Maybe he never would be.

If he sold the shop and moved to Rittersberg permanently, Grace would kill him. Heck, once she tracked him down she'd probably kill him anyway, just for going off and getting himself in trouble without her again.

And if she did, maybe she'd be doing him a favour. Gabriel wasn't worried about rabies - von Zell had infected him with something far worse. He'd probably go just as insane, but he'd be dangerous and much harder to handle.

A part of him wanted it, or thought he did. Running free, living for the moment and acting on instinct. Was it really that bad a way to live? Von Zell had been insane, a rogue. He'd been taking parts of victims back to his hideaways for a snack for years, but Gabriel didn't have to be like that.

Because Friedrich wasn't like that. Baron Friedrich von Glower was a refined, civilised man with deep, dark eyes that held all the mysteries of the world. He was charming, sophisticated and intelligent, and he'd been appalled when Gabriel had shown him von Zell's cave. The sight of the rotted, half-eaten corpses had affected him as badly as Gabriel himself had been. Von Glower had made no attempt to conceal his horrified reaction.

What he had concealed, and had evidently been doing so for a few hundred years, was the fact that he was an Alpha werewolf. Grace's research all made sense the moment von Glower had insisted that Gabriel be the one to shoot von Zell. It was in the book: an Alpha couldn't kill his beta without harming himself. Friedrich was the Black Wolf, the lover 'Louis' of Ludwig II, and the man responsible for von Zell. He'd said as much outside the cave.

Gabriel had accepted the gun and in that split second of clarity, he'd had the opportunity to shoot von Glower. He could've saved himself from the curse by pulling the trigger then and there; instead, he'd killed von Zell.

Why? Why hadn't he saved himself? Was it some sort of temporary insanity on Gabriel's part, or had it been down to Friedrich's personal magnetism?

A little of both, maybe. The Baron had had several centuries to work on his charm, and Gabriel had been easily swayed by his effusive show of friendship.

The previous night had clinched it. After Detta's departure, when Gabriel lay sleepy and sated in von Glower's spare room, his new friend had sat down by the bed and touched him, ever-so-lightly. A brief caress over his chest where the talisman lay, and then a soft ruffle of his hair. Gabriel had feigned sleep, only opening his eyes after his host had left, because he didn't know how far he was going to go.

Didn't know how far he wanted him to go, either. Gabriel Knight had always counted himself as resolutely straight, but he'd never met anyone like Friedrich von Glower before. It wasn't just looks, though the Baron fit the 'tall, dark and handsome' model to a T. It wasn't his lightly-accented voice, which so often carried a note of amusement. It was his personality, the shine in his eyes when he'd explained his philosophy. Gabriel had wanted to talk to him more, to learn more about him.

And now? Now he knew for certain what Friedrich was, and why he'd worn earplugs when they went to hunt von Zell. If he hadn't, perhaps he'd have reached the ravine in time to prevent the wolf's attack.

Would he then have bitten Gabriel himself? Taken him back to the lodge, maybe, and visited him at night? Gabriel knew his lupine form would be beautiful, a giant black wolf with the intelligence of a man. Friedrich would make it as easy as possible, finding a spot where the bite wouldn't show - thigh, maybe - and sinking his teeth in with a lover's care. Then he'd change back and stand before Gabriel, proud and unashamed, and guide his beta wolf into his new life. There would be pain but it would be worth it for the eternity they could run together.

For that slim hope, Gabriel had shot von Zell. There had been no time to think, only to panic, and he'd acted instinctively. He didn't want a creature like von Zell as his master, didn't want to be contaminated by the madness.

Besides, Gabriel had been hired to stop the monster who killed Toni Huber, and for her and all the other victims von Zell had to be executed. It was the only thing he could do to provide justice for the dead and their families. A sick, diseased animal should be put to rest, and von Zell had been, out by the ravine.

The corpse would lie there until Friedrich had a moment to do something about it, but for now he was preoccupied with Gabriel. The American was in shock and losing blood from the bite wound, and he clung to Friedrich every step of the way back to the lodge just to keep himself upright.

It was comforting. Snuggling up to an Alpha werewolf in the middle of the night in the dark woods shouldn't have been comforting, but it was. With von Zell dead, the only remotely dangerous people in the area were von Glower and Gabriel himself, and Gabriel was out of commission right now, especially since he'd dropped his talisman back at the ravine.

He could find it later, or Friedrich could. He must have known about the Schattenjagers, about Gabriel's heritage. He'd seen the Ritter family talisman; he'd touched it. That, more than anything else, convinced Gabriel that Friedrich wasn't an evil man.

Besides, when you're tired, scared and in agony, you try not to think too much about how you really should kill the man who's supporting you, half-carrying you back to safety so he can clean your wound. You don't pay close attention to the words he whispers softly in your ear; you focus only on the comforting sounds, the tender assurances that everything's going to be all right.

If Gabriel tried hard enough, he could manage to avoid thinking about it. He was good at that, having gotten in all those years of practice when he'd been having those nightmares of his own premature death. He'd distracted himself with an unbroken string of women, but he didn't have that luxury now. There were no women at the lodge. The other four men would be asleep, and only he and Friedrich would be awake.

How would they explain von Zell's sudden disappearance? Gabriel didn't know. The police would never solve the mutilation killings because outside of Rittersberg, there wasn't a town in Germany that would believe in the existence of werewolves. The killings would stop and life would go back to normal for everyone else.

Not Gabriel. 'Normal', for him, was strange enough in any case due to his heritage, but that was nothing compared to becoming a werewolf. He was never going to be normal again, not unless he killed Friedrich, and he couldn't do that. Not now, maybe not ever. That decision was one he hoped, somewhat naively, never to have to make.

He was too disoriented to make any decisions at the moment, serious or otherwise. Friedrich expertly manoeuvred him up the stairs of the hunting lodge, into his bedroom, and prodded him onto his bed. There was a moment's loneliness when the Baron left the room, but he soon returned and stripped Gabriel of his boots and borrowed trousers.

Gabriel lay back semi-conscious against the pillows and tried not to lash out at the chill and sting of the antiseptic against his leg. Its sharpness brought him closer to a waking state, and he didn't want that. If he was awake, he had to think clearly. He had to decide what to do about the Black Wolf.

Not so if he was too dazed and shocked to even stand unaided. Being responsible could wait until the pain stopped gnawing at him, until the fear stopped tying his intestines in knots.

"I know a more enjoyable way to clean a wound," Friedrich murmured, applying a temporary dressing, "but Garr's eating habits were questionable. I do not like to think what he may have passed on to you with his bite."

Gabriel tried to reply, to say that Friedrich knew exactly what von Zell had passed on to him and he knew damned well whose fault it was too, but his strength failed him. He stared blearily at the other man through half-lidded eyes that were not quite used to the glow of the bedside lamp, and only managed a faint moan of protest. It was really starting to catch up with him now. Underneath the pain and the sheer nervous exhaustion, there was something else.

Some primal, unrestrained. The wolf. The curse was already beginning to take hold of him and it scared him more than anything he'd seen in that voodoo hounfour.

Friedrich laid a gentle hand on his hair. "You must rest. The change will not be pleasant, Gabriel, and I think perhaps it would be better for you if you were to spend some time away from me to think matters over. You will feel very ill, and perhaps resentful. I would spare you from it if I could, but I believe your blood will enable you to retain your sanity through the change."

Gabriel wasn't so sure about that. His skin felt prickly and chilled, while his brain was starting to burn feverishly. If the pain didn't get him, the irritation would. He tossed uneasily, wincing from the bruises on his back where von Zell had pushed him to the ground.

"It has already begun." The Baron frowned and pulled the blanket up to Gabriel's chest. "I will drive you back to Munich in the morning. You must have time enough to think by yourself, and when you have had time to reflect on the idea, I will come for you." He paused and reconsidered his last statement. "No, perhaps a letter. You may not wish to see me again. You will have a difficult time ahead of you, though I think you will come to accept how well you are suited for this life. You cannot deny your nature forever, Gabriel."

Gabriel wanted to snarl at the other man to leave him alone to die in peace. At the same time, he wanted to plead with him to stay, not to leave him in Munich by himself. The way he was feeling, he'd never make it back to Rittersberg without help, and there was no way he was going to risk the drive. He'd probably wreck the Hubers' car, which they weren't going to be pleased about, even if he did avenge their daughter's murder.

With a struggle, he rasped out, "Friedrich?", prompting the other man to sit down beside him on the bed.

"You feel well enough to speak again?" the Baron asked, sounding delighted. Gabriel hadn't spoken since his panicked babbling after von Zell's death, partly due to the shock and partly because he didn't have the breath to waste on words, not when he had to fight so hard just to stay upright. "Perhaps it would be possible for you to give me an answer now. Have you been listening?"

A tremor ran through Gabriel's body that had nothing to do with the curse. He was under no illusions as to what Friedrich wanted. A companion to run beside him in the nights through the ages, to travel and live, to be alive.

And perhaps, to love. Would it be so bad, to hold and be held by such a man? Gabriel was attracted by the idea, more than he felt he should be, but attraction wasn't the only thing to consider. There was Grace, for a start, and how it would affect their relationship. There was his work, both official and unofficial, and the pesky problem of changing identities every generation or so.

These issues, however, paled in comparison to the real problem, which was Friedrich von Glower himself. The Black Wolf. The man Gabriel should kill, which would put an end to madmen like von Zell and serve as justice for the Black Wolf's past victims. He was a Schattenjager, it was his duty to kill the Black Wolf. He could save countless lives by doing so, including his own. With his Alpha dead, he'd be free from the curse.

And Friedrich would be dead. Gabriel was horribly confused, afraid that whichever way he decided, he'd hurt someone. He didn't want the responsibility. What right did a simple bookstore owner and novelist have to go making decisions about other people's lives?

"Gabriel?" Friedrich's voice was uncertain now, less hopeful that Gabriel would give him the answer he wanted to hear.

Gabriel let his eyelids fall the rest of the way and tried to calm his breathing into a sleep pattern. If Friedrich thought he wasn't aware enough to make up his mind, maybe he'd leave the issue for now, take Gabriel back to Munich and send him a message after he'd had time to think about things.

Friedrich smiled indulgently and stood up. "I suppose I should not expect you to make a decision so soon. Forgive me if I seem overeager."

Gabriel didn't reply. He thought he'd got away with it until Friedrich bent down and whispered, "Your breathing changes when you sleep. Goodnight, Gabriel." There was more than a hint of playfulness in his voice, and Gabriel knew his ploy hadn't fooled the other man for so much as a second. He steadfastly kept his eyes closed and waited for the sound of the bedroom door opening.

Eventually, it came. Footsteps padded quietly out into the hallway and the door creaked shut again. Gabriel Knight was left alone with only his fears for company and the ache in his leg which hurt whenever he moved. Pain notwithstanding, he knew that if he really put his mind to it, he could stagger - crawl, if he had to - down the hallway to Friedrich's bedroom. He could tell him that yes, he did want to be a part of the pack, and he could stay there and everything would be all right.

Right up until he had to kill Friedrich, and then himself for the thing he'd become.

Gabriel stayed in his own bed, sickly and shivering, and waited for the first light of morning to take him back to Munich.


End file.
